This volcano erupted for the first time in 10,000 years sending ash clouds across continents

NASA/Handout/Reuters via CNN Newsource

(CNN) — A volcano in Ethiopia has erupted for the first known time in 10,000 years, spewing plumes of thick smoke and ash high into the sky and impacting air travel thousands of miles away in India .

The long-dormant Hayli Gubbi volcano in the Afar region in Ethiopia’s northeast roared to life Sunday, covering the neighboring villages in dust and creating challenges for farmers.

While no casualties were reported, the eruption poses a threat to the local community of livestock herders by smothering vital grazing lands, local administrator Mohammed Seid told The Associated Press

Residents described hearing a terrifying blast at the moment of the eruption.

“It felt like a sudden bomb had been thrown with smoke and ash,” local residentAhmed Abdela